Written by Sarah Tomlin

High volume recruitment is hiring multiple candidates at once, or in a short time frame, and often hiring for the same job role. Volume hiring is common within roles such as customer service, hospitality and retail, where people have to be hired quickly for new shop openings, busy periods of the year or company events, etc.

Following these 4 key steps will help towards successful volume recruitment.

• Discover

Ensuring we find the right candidates for the role is essential and is the first important step for volume recruitment.

-Spending time on your ad will make a huge difference, you want candidates to want the job before you’ve even spoken to them.

-Make sure all details are clear and cover everything. When people are looking for jobs, they are looking for specifics, e.g. wages, location, remote work. The more details you have, the more applications you get and also you’re more likely to get candidates fitting your criteria.

 

• Connect

We want to keep all applicants interested. Remember, candidates will be applying for multiple jobs so we want to give them the best 1:1 experience.

-Always phone. It’s very easy to hide behind a phone or computer and it’s easy to miss an email or text when having a busy day. Phoning candidates directly gives you the opportunity to sell the role, get to know them better and give them a good first impression.

-Keep them engaged. Candidates should be informed of each step and how long each step may take. If we don’t keep everyone engaged then they’ll lose interest and may result in no longer wanting the role.

 

• Prepare

Preparation is key. Being organised from the beginning will really help you as a recruiter. There are many stages from start to finish and we want to make sure these are completed as smoothly as possible, especially within volume recruitment.

-Keeping track of each step within the process and where your candidates are up to will make everything so much easier. Try keeping a spreadsheet, or checklist, this will mean that when a candidate calls for an update or to ask about the next steps, you’ll be prepared without flicking through multiple notes.

 

• Be adaptable

As we all know, sometimes the best-laid plans don’t always work out how you expect. Different campaigns require different approaches and we should adopt in the same way as our candidates do.

-Dealing with different types of candidates and various volume campaigns means that there isn’t going to be one approach that suits all. The most important thing is that you as a recruiter can adapt and change processes to fit when needed.